How To End a Cover Letter (With Closing Examples)

When you're writing a cover letter or sending an email message to apply for a job, it's important to close your letter in as professional a manner as possible. End your letter with a formal closing, followed by your signature.

Cover Letter Closing Examples

The following is a list of letter closing examples that are appropriate for cover letters and other employment-related correspondence, such as thank-you notes and/or emails to schedule interviews or pass along references.

• Sincerely
• Sincerely yours
• Regards
• Best
• Best regards
• With best regards
• Kind regards
• Yours truly
• Most sincerely
• Respectfully
• Respectfully yours
• Thank you
• Thank you for your consideration

Closings Not to Use

A cover letter is a formal correspondence, so it's important not to be too casual or friendly when writing it. Here are some letter closings that are fine to use when emailing or writing to a friend, but are not appropriate to use in a cover letter. 

• Affectionately
• Best wishes
• Cheers
• Eagerly waiting for a response
• Fondly
• Warm regards
• Warmest regards
• Warmly
• Take care
• Take it easy
• Have a great day
• Have a nice day
• Love
• Smiles
• XOXO
• Yours
• Yours faithfully
• Abbreviations (Thx or any other abbreviated word isn't appropriate)
• Any emoticon (no smiley faces)
• Sent from my phone (if your phone automatically includes it, you can remove it in the settings)

How To Sign a Cover Letter

For a printed letter, follow the closing with a comma. Then, on a new line, put your name. Leave a space above your typed name for your written signature.

If you're sending an email, you can add your contact information below your name. For example:

Whichever sign-off you choose, make sure always to capitalize its first letter.

Set Up an Email Signature

To simplify, you can set up an email signature that includes your contact information.

Use a Professional Email Account

It’s a wise idea, when conducting a job search, to set up an email account (and accompanying address) dedicated. Doing so will help to ensure that you don’t miss emails from potential employers who might be interested in interviewing you. It also will allow you to provide a professional-sounding email address on your resume and cover letter. This email address should be comprised simply of your name (examples: “John.T.Smith@gmail.com or marjoriejones@email.com).

Too often, job candidates use their personal email accounts to apply for jobs, often using “cute” email names such as “Crafty_catlady@yahoo.com” or OrcWarrior100@gmail.com.” This casual practice often raises hiring managers, eyebrows, raising red flags about whether a candidate is a serious, qualified applicant for the job to which they are applying.

What To Include in Your Signature

In your signature, include your email address and phone number. You can add your LinkedIn profile URL to make it easy for your recipients to view your skills, accomplishments, educational background, and work history. Depending on your field, you may also want to include a link to your Twitter account; if you do so, make sure that your account is professional and appropriate for viewing by potential employers. 

Find out how to set up a professional email signature, including formatting style and links to help you save a signature in your preferred email program.

More Cover Letter Writing Tips

Having an appropriate close is just one of the many steps required to craft a winning cover letter.

Review how to write a cover letter, including what to include in your cover letter, how to write a cover letter, typical cover letter formats, targeted cover letters, and cover letter samples and examples.